kihunzi

How to say it

Meaning

a secret manner of speaking in which the final syllables of words are moved to the front, a kind of thieves' cant.

Good to know

thieves' Latin (a form of con- cealed speech in which final syllables are put first)

Examples

• Wezi walizungumza kwa kihunzi ili wasieleweke.The thieves spoke in the concealed cant so they would not be understood.
• Unajua kuongea kihunzi?Do you know how to speak in that secret code?
• Hatukuelewa lolote walilosema kwa kihunzi.We did not understand anything they said in the secret speech.
• Watoto wa mtaani walijifunza kihunzi kama mchezo.The street children learned the coded speech as a game.